Automobile wheel-aligning device



Patented Oct, Y14, Vv192411.

WELBY E. BURGIN, OFCAMPBELLSVILLE, KENTUCKY.v

AUTMOBILE WHEEL-ALIGNING k-DlICll. 'i

Application mea December 2s, 1922.` lsemi No. 508,709..

' To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, -VVELBYE BURGIN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Campbellsville, in the county ot Taylor and State ofKentucky, have invented a new and Improved Automobile Wheel-AligningDevice, of Which'thefollowing is a lfull, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to attach ments for motor vehicles, and itpertains more particularly to means for aligning the steering wheels ofmotor vehicles.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide means whereby thesteering wheels of a motor vehicle will be normally maintained inalinement regardless of irregularities with which they come in' contactwhile traveling over the road.

It is a furtherl object of the invention to provide a device of thischaracter which" will automatically return the steering wheels tostraight-ahead position upon'the release of tension upon the` steeringgear of the steering wheel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of` thischaracter which may be attachedto the steering gear of wheels withoutnecessitating a change in structure or parts of said gear. y

With the above and other objects inview, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in Which- Y Figure 1 is a top plan axle, frontaxle radius rod, and steering gear Vof a motor vehicle, the lsteeringpost and steering arm not being shownV in this figure;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawingsq the referenceV character. 5designates.

the front axle of a motor vehicle, and 6 designates the steering wheelspindles thereof, which steering wheel spindles are pivotally connectedto the ends of the axle 5 by means of the steering knuckles '7. Each ofthese steering knuckles has a rearwardly -disposedsteering arm 8, andsaid steeringV arms 8 are connected by means of a tie-bar or the like,9, pivotally connected-at its ends to such steering knuckles.Connected'to one end of the tie-bar 9, as Vat 10, is a drag link 11, andsaid'drag link isconnected, as atV 12, to thesteering wheel post (notshown.) l

The reference characterl designates the front axle radius rod, which inthis typeof view of the front y motor 'vehicle` `issubsitantially"Veshapeol,v

having its legsV connected-at ,their ends,` as at 14, to the front axle5. The rear fendof this front axleV radius rod is provided withr a ballor the like, 15, bymeansof which it is connected to the motor crank caseor other part ofthe chassis.

Spanning the legs of the front radius rod,"

k13. As more clearly shown in Fig. 2, this bar 16 is providedintermediate its ends, with a housing portion 19, and mounted in saidhousing portion are rollers 20, said rollers beingcarried by bolts 21'passing through the side walls of the housing. It Vwill be noted thattheserollers are spaced with relation to each other, and passingvthrough the space between the rollers are flexible members 22 andl 23.

The flexible member 22 is connected at one Y y end, by means of a clip24, to the tie-bar 9, and the'lexible member 23 is connected at oneofits ends, by means of a clip 25, to the tie-bar 9. It will be notedthat the distance between the clips 24; and 25` is greater than the.distance between the Vrollers 20, thus causing the flexible members 22and 23 to at all times contact with their `respective rollers.

The opposite ends of themembers 22-and 23 are connected bymeans 'of aclip 26, and

said clipA 26 has ane'ye27 which engages one end of a spring 28 Theother end of the spring 28 is connected lto Va cross bar 29 f carriedbythe radius rod 13, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2.

By this construction it is yapparent that if the vdrag link 11 is movedin the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1, the flexible mem- 'Y ber 23will be moved in thesame direction by means of the tie-bar 9, and willthus place the spring 28 under tension. It is to be noted that the draglink 11 will be moved by the action of the hand wheel of the steeringgear` and that immediately the pressure exe erted thereon isreleased,under the influence of the spring V28 the iiexiblemember willserve -to return the steering wheels to normal alined position( If,however, the Y drag link is moved in the direction of the arrow B, inFig. 1, the flexible memberv 22 will cause the Vspring '28 yto be placedunder tension, and! immediately the wheel of the' i i vehicle inalinement at all times under nor'-V mal condition. At the saine timeithe mecha.- nism permits of operation of the steering gear to steertheyehicle. Furthermorea upon release of rpressure orv strain necessaryto operate tbe steering gear',Y the Wheelswill be automatically returnedto normal alined position;

What is claimed is: t

VIn combination with a radius rod of the end to the radiusrodydive-rging fiexible elements secured to the other end of the spring`said diverging flexible elements passing between the rollers, and meansfor securing the free end of eacli of said diverging lexible elements tothe tie-bar of the steering gear, the distance between the' pointsfofsecureinent of said flexible elements being greater than the distancebetween' the spaced rollers carried by the transverse-ber.

,WELv Y Bumm;

